


china boy

by aquarius_galuxy



Category: Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle
Genre: M/M, Modern Day, beijing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-05
Updated: 2017-06-05
Packaged: 2018-11-09 07:00:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11099322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aquarius_galuxy/pseuds/aquarius_galuxy
Summary: There's a new employee at the office. He's a foreigner. And he speaks with an accent, just like Kurogane does.





	china boy

**Author's Note:**

> Heya - just dropping in for a bit. I wrote this really quick in between books. I really, really want to finish this, except... I kind of piled a great number of things on my plate and have to leave this for a while right now. Oops. New book was just released this past weekend. More details at the bottom.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy what I've got so far. :D I've only edited half of it, and the rest is just... fresh off the keyboard. There may be typos, wrong names, and everything in between. I'm sorry. OTL
> 
> TRC characters belong to clamp. my writing belongs to me.

_hey china boy, let your heart breathe now_

**i.**

The first time Kurogane meets the blond, they're in a small office in Beijing, blue eyes meeting his across an empty room.

"We don't deal with suppliers," Kurogane says in his accented Mandarin. "This is headquarters."

The blond answers, in differently-accented Mandarin, "I'm the new employee. My name is Fai."

Kurogane stares.

There has to be a mistake, because Yuuko doesn't hire foreigners. But the man, Fai, steps further into the office, eyeing the empty cubicles around them. "Why isn't anyone else around?"

"You're early," Kurogane says. _And you speak well for a foreigner._ "The office opens at 8."

"Oh." The blond looks at the door, like he doesn't know what to do while he waits for the boss to get here. "Someone told me 7."

"They told you wrong. Grab some coffee," Kurogane says. Must be a typo Sakura made in her email. "There's a shop two streets from here. Cat's Eye on Ming De Road. Their drinks are pretty good. You'll need to know where it is if you're working overtime."

"Oh." The man glances at his wristwatch, then back at Kurogane. He has high cheekbones and wispy hair falling over his ears, and his mouth pulls down, unlike the touristy white people Kurogane sees on the streets. "Thanks."

Kurogane nods.

At the door, the blond pauses, turning. "What's your name?"

"Kurogane."

"Kurogane," Fai says, testing the name on his tongue. "Nice to meet you."

It sounds mangled with his accent, but Kurogane doesn't have the patience to correct him. Especially when Mandarin isn't his first language, just like it isn't Fai's.

He shrugs, and Fai leaves the office.

* * *

**ii.**

He discovers that Fai's joining the next department over. The corporate office of the shipping company occupies half a floor of the building, separated into four sections: admin, human resource, accounting, and IT. Kurogane's with the IT department watching over the servers. Three desks down, Fai's with the admin people, handling shipment emails and schedules and all sorts of crazy things.

They break for lunch at different times, and Kurogane watches the blond talk to the others in the admin department, his desk a mess of papers and instructions. He looks out of place here, golden hair in a sea of black.

Sometimes, between handling broken printers and forgotten passwords, Kurogane turns for a stretch. He glimpses Fai poring over the instructions, or frowning at the computer screen. A couple times, he catches Fai looking over at him.

Fai smiles. Kurogane returns it, wondering if he's settling in okay.

* * *

**iii.**

They don't talk again until a week later. Kurogane's days are predictable: lunch at 12:15 PM. Fai's breaks are at 11:45, except the people in the admin department yell at each other all through one morning, and everyone else in the office glances over warily.

When Kurogane steps out to grab his lunch, the blond follows, his expression harried.

"Bad day?" Kurogane asks.

"Fuck," Fai says in English. In Mandarin, he says, "I don't want to talk about it."

They step into the elevator, and Fai sags into the blue-gray wall, rubbing his eyes. Kurogane doesn't ask if it was bad, or who caused the mess.

"It was the fish company," Fai says anyway, his voice muffled in his hands. "They booked the wrong shipment lines. Everything was a mess."

"Still a mess?"

"Not anymore." Fai sighs, looking up at the fluorescent lights of the elevator ceiling. "I need a drink."

As they stroll out of the building lobby, Kurogane offers him a cigarette. Fai accepts it, and Kurogane lends him his lighter.

Fai cups the cigarette end with his hand, flicking the lighter wheel. The cigarette end chars and shrivels in the flame. "Thanks. I needed that."

Kurogane shakes out a stick for himself. "Why'd you come here? To China?"

For minutes, they walk along the streets, pedestrians swarming around them, the air heavy with smog. Fai puffs on his cigarette, and Kurogane breathes the smoky burn into his lungs.

"I wanted to start afresh," Fai says, looking at the sidewalk. "Across the world seemed like a good idea."

"Are you going to go back?"

"Maybe never."

Kurogane turns them into his usual lunch spot, a hole-in-the-wall eatery selling roast chicken and rice. They sit at a table by the window, the rest of the eatery humming with conversation. He realizes then that they'd not agreed on having lunch together. Fai doesn't seem to mind, though.

"Job okay so far?" Kurogane asks.

"Yeah. It's not so bad. Everything's in Mandarin, so it takes some getting used to. I'm learning a lot."

Kurogane knows. It was difficult for him, too, when he first moved out into Beijing. He still can't shake his accent, and the shopkeepers glance askance at him sometimes. His colleagues joke about it, too, and it grates on his nerves. He reads in their eyes: _stupid country bumpkin._

"You speak differently," Fai says, watchful. His eyes aren't judging, though, and Kurogane decides he likes this man. Fai's ignorance is a nice change from their colleagues' friendly jibes.

"I'm from further inland. A small village in Wuxi province."

Out on the streets, the cars rumble by, gray clouds of exhaust puffing into the air like cigarettes. Kurogane stubs his out, dropping its butt into the ashtray.

"It's nicer in the village," he says. "Fresher air. Not crowded like this place."

In Wuxi, his parents live in a tiny wooden house with no air-conditioning. A narrow dirt path cuts into a hillside, leading to their home. The air is crisp there, the trees and shrubs brimming with insects and rabbits. The kids play with little spinning tops, their classrooms made of cement bricks. Kurogane's chest aches for home, suddenly. Somewhere more comfortable than Beijing.

Fai smiles. "I'd love to visit. Maybe when I get more settled into this job."

"Would be nice," Kurogane says. "I could show you around."

"You don't mind?"

"I have nothing to do anyway." Except caring for his old scooter, and even that machine doesn't need maintenance all the time. He wants to see this pale, gangling man pick his way across a steep hillside, share his village with someone who won't judge him for his accent. Kurogane eyes the smartphone Fai tucks in his pocket. "There's no cellphone signal there. You won't get bored?"

Blue eyes light up, and Fai smiles. "It sounds exciting."

The waiter stops by at their table. Kurogane orders his usual: roast duck on rice. Fai asks for the same.

When the waiter leaves, Kurogane looks at Fai again. The man is... pretty. Different. Fai's lips close around the cigarette, and they look soft. Something stirs in Kurogane's gut.

"Is there something on my face?" Fai wipes at his nose, pulling the cigarette from his lips. He mashes its butt in the ashtray, and Kurogane can't stop looking back at his mouth. At the line of his jaw, the ends of his hair falling over his ears.

He drags his eyes back to the busy sidewalk outside. "Nothing on your face."

"But you were looking?" Fai's eyes glimmer, suddenly, his mouth pulling into a smile. "Are you, by any chance..."

"Don't say it." Kurogane glances around them. Even with the protests, the LGBT organizations and the rainbow flags, the laws here overlook discrimination against homosexuals. Yuuko might not mind, but she has no control over her staff's prejudices. "Especially not in the office."

And even though Kurogane isn't the least bit feminine, he can't help the attraction anyway. Women are okay, but _men,_ well. He kind of likes Fai. He kind of likes Fai in the way he'd like Fai under him, naked and gasping.

Not the best thing to be thinking about when you're having lunch with your colleague.

"I see," Fai says. He smiles, and his eyes flicker down to Kurogane's chest. Kurogane's pants grow uncomfortably tight.

The food arrives, and they pay for it. Rice isn't so great when you're hungry for something else.

"Must be nice in America," Kurogane says, glancing at the tables of businessmen around them. "Without discrimination against... people like us."

The smile falls away from Fai's face, and a pang of dread shoots down Kurogane's spine. _Did I say something wrong?_ "It depends on where you are," Fai says, poking through his roast duck. "Some places, it's bad. Some families, too. It's not all bright and happy like everyone else thinks it is."

Kurogane nods. It's the same here: in the village, his friends had talked about the glowing opportunities in the big cities, moving there, making money, earning enough to buy a house. When Kurogane had scraped together enough to move out, and when he'd found a decent job, he'd realized that the people in the cities are surprisingly jaded, stressed out with keeping their jobs and paying for ludicrously-priced rental apartments.

It's different from the U.S., but not much better.

And maybe that's growing up, learning what adulthood is. Everything wasn't what you dreamed it to be. At thirty, he still resents it sometimes.

He sighs, shoving rice into his mouth. Across the table, Fai watches him. They don't talk for the next ten minutes.

"Are you busy after work?" Fai asks when he's scraping together the last bits of his rice. He meets Kurogane's eyes, smiling, and his eyebrows quirk. "I thought we could go drinking, if you're interested."

"Sure," Kurogane says. His stomach gives a little flip, because drinking won't stay at drinking. He's certain of it. "I have nothing to do, anyway."

Fai grins, promise in his eyes, and Kurogane's blood thrums in his veins.

—

iv.

He gets out early after work. Earlier than Fai, anyway. While he waits, he sends Fai a text. _Back in 5 min._

Kurogane ducks past swarms of office workers to the convenience store two buildings down, and buys a box of condoms. And some sachets of lube. He ditches the box, slides a couple foil packets into his trouser pockets, and shoves the rest in his bag.

When he returns to the office, Fai's waiting for him by the lobby doors, a tiny, glowing smile on his face. "Where are we going?"

"I know this bar," Kurogane says. "They sell cheap food and beer."

"If it's anything like lunch, I'm interested. You have good taste."

Kurogane looks sidelong at him. In the shadowy evening, light from neon signboards plays off Fai's cheek, gleaming on his lips. "With men, not always."

Fai laughs. "If either of us did, we wouldn't be going drinking, would we?"

Kurogane grins. He really likes this guy.

They step into his favorite bar in the city, with dimmed lights, katanas on the walls, and ceramic casks of wine sitting in the corners. Kurogane leads them to a booth, orders beers for them. Then a plate of fried wontons and some grilled meat on sticks. Fai looks appreciatively at the platters the waitress sets down. Kurogane hands her some notes.

"I can still hear you," he says over the music thumping through the bar. There are a handful of people dancing on the floor, but most are tucked away in the booths right now, having dinner.

"You won't for long," Kurogane says. "So talk now if you want."

"I'm eating. Talk can wait." Fai pops grilled chicken into his mouth. Then he closes his eyes, a smile spreading across his face. "You know the best food places."

"Tsk. I've only shown you two."

"Show me more." Fai licks off the sticky gravy from his lips. Then he grabs a wonton with his fingers; he hasn't touched the chopsticks yet. "I want to visit all the bars."

"It's Beijing. If you want to see all the bars, we'd have to visit a different place every night for four straight months," Kurogane says, nudging him in the side. "You want to commit to that?"

Fai nudges him back. "If I get tired of it, I'll follow you home."

Kurogane stares. No one's hit on him so openly before, and not when they're just having appetizers in a bar. "Really?" he asks, hope fluttering in his stomach. "You barely even know me."

"Then I'll get to know you better," Fai says, wriggling his eyebrows. A second later, he groans, burying his face in his hands. "I did not mean to be this... what's the word?" He waves his hands, cringing. "This forward. I'm sorry."

"You agreed to drink with me," Kurogane says. The condoms sit like iron plates in his pocket. "But it's fine if you'd rather go home."

"No! I mean, I'm fine here. There's beer and good food." Fai waves at the table between them, and the music in the background rises a notch louder, thumping beats that reverberate through Kurogane's ribs. "And I'm talking with you."

"You're not leaving then?" Kurogane dips the wonton into its dipping sauce. The flavors scatter across his tongue, salty and spicy, and it makes his mouth water.

"I'm not." Fai slides out from his seat, rounding the end of the table. Then he squeezes into the booth next to Kurogane, his arm pressing warm, their thighs bumping. Fai nudges him further along the seat. "It's easier to hear you like this. I hope you don't mind."

Kurogane laughs. "You squeeze in here, and then say 'I hope you don't mind'?"

Blue eyes sparkle. "Is that a problem?"

"Not really."

They finish the appetizers; first the grilled chicken, then the wontons. Kurogane orders more dishes: barbecued pork buns, delicate puff pastries, a plate of boiled vegetables with oyster sauce. The waitress studies them over her notepad, her eyes inscrutable.

He feels the weight of judgement in her gaze anyway. _We shouldn't sit this close in public. She probably thinks you're my escort._

It shouldn't matter. Kurogane shoves those thoughts out of his head. At the back of his mind, he hears _You'll find a nice girl and bring her home,_ but it fades away when Fai smiles up at him, his lips glistening with sauce from the pork buns.

"You're not using chopsticks?" Kurogane asks.

"Chopsticks are difficult," Fai says, pouting. With his fingers, he plucks a strand of leafy greens from the platter, popping it into his mouth.

And yeah, now he has oyster sauce smeared across his lower lip, too.

"Did you want that? You're looking at me like that piece was yours," Fai shouts over the thumping music.

"Nah," Kurogane says. "Take it."

Fai flicks his tongue out, licking his lips clean. Kurogane wants to see it again. Wants to see Fai's tongue on him, licking up his chest. He wants Fai's tongue on the rest of his body, too. The volume of the music ramps up, and the crowd on the dance floor writhes. In his chest, Kurogane's heart thumps along with it. The music races along his veins, makes him want to do something reckless. Like press his lips to Fai's.

"You're having fun thoughts," Fai shouts, his eyes gleaming.

"Just thinking."

"I can't hear you!"

Kurogane raises his voice, leaning in so their arms brush. "I was just thinking!"

Fai presses closer, his chest solid against Kurogane's bicep, and Kurogane regrets bringing him to this place. They can't hear each other. Except Fai leans all the way in, so close his breath rushes over Kurogane's cheek. He sets a hand on Kurogane's thigh, balancing himself. And Kurogane's attention locks onto the warm pressure of his hand so close to his groin.

"What were you thinking about?" Fai asks, his lips brushing against Kurogane's ear. His mouth drags damp and sticky against Kurogane's skin, and Kurogane's cock throbs in his pants.

"Nothing," he says. He doesn't know what exactly he should do right now. His instincts say to grab Fai's hand, push it down against his cock. His brain says _Look around you, there are too many people. You can't do this in public._

Fai shuffles on his seat, probably trying to get closer. "You don't look like you're—"

His knee slides off the edge of the seat. Fai yelps and flails, one hand grasping the back of the booth, the other shoving between Kurogane's legs, trying to find purchase.

In his panic, Fai's fingers squeeze hard around Kurogane's thigh, and he sways in his seat, looking as though he's about to lurch into Kurogane's chest. Then his foot thumps onto the floor, and Fai sways, trying to find his balance.

"You okay?" Kurogane asks. He's not thinking about Fai's hand right now. There's only one layer of fabric separating their bodies. His pants are so tight he doesn't know why they're still in the bar.

"Yeah. I'm... I'm fine." Fai blinks, looking down at his leg. He wriggles his hand, fingertips pressing into Kurogane's leg. Then they feel around along the underside of Kurogane's thigh, to his balls, and Fai freezes. He looks up from his shoes, at Kurogane's groin.

And he has to have seen the bulge in Kurogane's pants, because his eyes widen, and he breathes out, his tongue darting over his lips.

"I'm—I'm sorry," Fai splutters. He yanks his hand away. Then he takes another five seconds to tear his gaze from Kurogane's groin, and Kurogane throbs, his throat going paper-dry. So Fai wants his cock. Yeah, he can live with that.

"Sit properly," he says. So they can attempt to carry out their shouting conversation in this place. Or maybe go home and do something with those condoms. "Do you want to order more food?"

Fai glances at the table, with their half-eaten buns and their beers half-empty. "No. But we shouldn't waste this."

After the little news he's read about food wastage in the U.S., that line makes Kurogane pause. "Really?"

"Yeah. it's good food." Except Fai's gaze darts back down at Kurogane's hips like he's found something even more delicious, and maybe Kurogane wants Fai's mouth on his cock, now. "We should... should eat."

Kurogane reaches up, sliding his fingers against Fai's nape. Then he pulls Fai closer, so his mouth brushes against Fai's ear. "What do you really want to eat?"

Fai's eyes widen. He groans and trembles, his gaze fixed on the table, but Kurogane glimpses the rise and fall of his chest, the way he licks his lips again. "Some... some meat."

"What meat?"

Fai's throat works. Kurogane leans away, the better to watch his reactions, and Fai's cheeks turn a dark red. He looks down at the food, wringing his hands together. And he's damn cute like that. "I'm sorry for falling on you like that. I wasn't paying attention."

"It's fine." The music in the bar thumps in his veins, and Kurogane leans in, dragging his lips against Fai's ear. Then he sucks Fai's earlobe into his mouth, its skin velvety and cool against his tongue. Fai gasps. And Kurogane traces his teeth over Fai's skin, then pulls away. "We'll finish the beer."

"Yeah," Fai says. He picks up a pork bun, biting into it. Then he gulps a mouthful of beer, his throat working, and he looks at Kurogane. "You're not eating."

 _I'm hungry for something else._ Kurogane pops a crumbly pastry into his mouth, chases it down with some beer. He doesn't want to waste the food either, and between them, they reluctantly finish the buns and the pastries. Fai glances at Kurogane sideways the entire time, occasionally looking at his hips. His attention sends a jolt of electricity down Kurogane's spine.

When three stalks of greens remain on the plate, Fai licks his fingers, leaning back into the seat. "Mm. That was tasty."

"You're still not using chopsticks," Kurogane says.

"What?"

"Chopsticks," Kurogane yells over the music. God, he's not going to do this again. Next time, they're buying beer and going to his place. "You don't use them!"

"Oh." Fai leans in again, except he holds his hand carefully away from Kurogane's thigh. "I don't know how to use them."

Kurogane frowns. "You speak Mandarin. How do you not know how to use chopsticks?"

"I was a translator," Fai shouts, cupping his hands around his mouth.

The rest of his words get lost to the music, and Kurogane sighs. There's no point shouting. Fai's done with his beer. He gulps down the rest of his own and grabs Fai's arm, hauling him out of the booth. Eyes growing wide, Fai trails after him, his body warm against Kurogane's as they weave between the crowd.

Stepping out of the bar is like dunking his head into water—the noise muffles immediately, and Fai presses close, huddling in the suddenly-cold air.

"Wow, it's chilly out," Fai says loudly, like he can't hear himself.

"Warmer at my place," Kurogane says, then winces. It sounds like _he's_ coming on to Fai now. Which is probably his subconscious talking. He wants Fai in his bed, wants Fai's skin sliding against his. Under the glow of the streetlamps, Kurogane looks at the blond again, at his pointed nose, his pink lips.

"Do you live nearby?" Fai asks, his eyes gleaming. And a thrill skitters down Kurogane's spine, because Fai wants to go home with him. Fai wants to get in his pants just as much as Kurogane wants to squeeze his cock.

"Yeah," he croaks. "'Bout ten minutes by the subway." _Never seemed so convenient until now._

They walk to the train station, shoulders bumping, Fai smelling like booze next to him. "Cigarette?" Fai asks.

Kurogane shakes a couple out for him and Fai, then lights their ends. They walk in silence past parked motorcycles on the streets, bicycles tied to trees. On the road, cars purr by, their headlights gleaming on wet asphalt.

At the subway entrance, Kurogane drags his feet to a stop by the trash can, dragging on the last of his cigarette. Fai blows his smoke away from Kurogane, his lips almost pursed, like he wants a kiss. He probably tastes like smoke, Kurogane thinks.

"You've been looking at me all night," Fai says, stubbing out his cigarette.

"Not much else to look at."

"Is that supposed to be a compliment, or an insult?"

"What do you think?" Kurogane grins, watching as Fai steps closer, his eyes narrowed.

"If you're sleeping with me, it better be a compliment," Fai murmurs, the corner of his lips curling up. And he's inches away from Kurogane at the busy metro exit, commuters streaming around them to the stairs.

Fai's flirting with Kurogane in front of all these people, without a care for them. He doesn't feel that pressure to fit in, doesn't feel the glances angling their way. And it's refreshing, not having to think about all that. Even if Fai knows he shouldn't be flirting with Kurogane out in public. He knows about the discrimination.

"I didn't say I was sleeping with you," Kurogane answers, stubbing out his own cigarette. Then he breathes out the smoke, trying to slow his pulse. _We aren't even on the train. Can't pin him down yet._ "Come on, let's go."

Fai jogs with him down the stairs. They tap their fare cards on the turnstiles and ride the escalator to the basement, where a train pulls into the station. People stream out when the doors hiss open, and Fai follows Kurogane into a train car, settling into a seat beside him. As the doors hiss shut, his thigh bumps into Kurogane's, warm and firm, his lips curving.

"What are you thinking about?" Fai asks.

 _Your ass_ doesn't seem like a decent answer right now, with the people around them. Kurogane drags his thoughts away from his bedroom, looking at Fai's legs. "Your knees."

Fai snorts. "My knees?"

"Yeah. They're thin." Which isn't the best thing to say to someone you're bringing home, but Kurogane's thoughts linger further up, on Fai's thighs. How soft the skin there is, and how Fai will gasp when Kurogane sinks his teeth in there.

"How rude." Fai leans into Kurogane's arm, a smile playing on his lips. "What are we going to do in bed?" he whispers, and Kurogane's pants grow so tight he can't think for a full five seconds.

"What the hell," he growls, glancing across the train. The people on the other side of the train stare at their phones, and no one's looking at them. "Why are you talking about that here?"

"No one's listening," Fai murmurs, leaning in, his shoulder pressing into Kurogane's bicep. "How soft is your bed?"

 _Soft enough to pin you against._ "It's not bad."

And Fai smiles, his eyes gleaming. Kurogane swallows. So they're really having sex. And their stop is five minutes away. The pressure in his pants grips all his attention, and Fai looks down at it, blue eyes dark. Kurogane wants to pull his pants open, wants to show Fai his cock. See the way Fai reacts to it.

Those five minutes take forever to scrape by.

When the train recording announces their stop, Kurogane stands, and Fai's gaze drops immediately to his hips.

"Oh," Fai breathes, tongue darting over his lips.

Kurogane's throat is as dry as asphalt in summer. He steps out of the train, his body moving like clockwork when he's so focused on pushing his cock up against Fai, grinding it against him, letting Fai feel it on his skin.

It's only when they're out of the station, heading down shadowy streets and passing under sodium lamps, that Fai talks again. The blond lopes along easily next to him. Kurogane's tall for a Chinese, half a head taller than Fai. Fai would fit right against his chest, his head tucked under Kurogane's chin.

"You aren't even looking at where we're going," Fai says, smiling.

"I don't need to." Because he's stripping Fai in his mind, thinking about the planes of his bare chest, the splay of his thighs. He's pretty, his eyes clear, his lips curved, his hair catching the orange glow of the streetlights. Kurogane has been thinking about him for the past five nights, thinking about his hand on Fai's cock, stroking down between his legs.

Kurogane's so hard he's about to split his pants.

They get to his apartment building. Fai steps into the elevator first, and Kurogane hits the Door Close button. The doors rumble shut, and the elevator sweeps them upwards. They have thirty seconds before it opens again.

"You're inviting me in for a drink, right?" Fai says, his voice raspy. He's standing with his hands tucked into his pockets, and Kurogane closes the distance between them, brushing his lips over Fai's, nipping. Fai moans, his tongue darting out, sliding damp against Kurogane's lips. He pushes into Kurogane's mouth, tasting like bitter smoke and liquor, and Kurogane growls, shoving him against the elevator wall, reaching between them.

Fai's cock pushes against his palm, trapped inside his pants. He's so damn hard, and Kurogane growls, grinding down firm on his cock. Fai shivers. He's sensitive, and it sends a dark thrill down Kurogane's spine. He wants to tease this man, wants to open him up, wants him squirming and begging to be fucked.

Kurogane slides his tongue past Fai's lips, pushing in. Fai's mouth tastes a bit like food, and a lot like beer. And cigarette smoke. And Kurogane has him, tangling their tongues together, pinning Fai to the wall with his hips. He grinds their covered cocks together, and Fai trembles, rocking his hips up, his breath coming in short, sharp pants.

Fai wants him. And Kurogane wants Fai pinned beneath him, wants him spread open and hungry. And he'd fuck the hell out of Fai, make him scream.

The doors rumble open. Kurogane leans away from Fai, glancing over his shoulder. No one in the lobby. A tiny part of him relaxes, but the rest of him doesn't care. He wants Fai under him, wants Fai to suck his cock.

They stagger out of the elevator, Kurogane rummaging in his pocket for the key. The foil packets scrape against his fingers. Beyond the door, the apartment's cloaked in shadows, and he flicks the light on. He wants to see Fai, wants to see his cock inside this man.

The door clicks shut behind them. Kurogane locks it, curls his hand against Fai's cheek, tilting his head up. Fai's nostrils flare, his throat exposed. Vulnerable.

"You look damn good," Kurogane growls, reaching down, squeezing Fai's cock through his pants. It's solid behind the fabric, thick, and Kurogane tugs Fai's pants open, throbbing when his cock slips out past his waistband. It's flushed, its blunt tip pushing out of its foreskin. And it's pointing right at him.

"Fuck me," Fai breathes, his lips parted and slick, and Kurogane smirks, grasping his cock, stroking the hot length of it. It jumps against his hand, its skin a brighter red than Kurogane's. Kurogane hikes Fai's shirt up just to touch his pink nipples, run his hand over that pale abdomen, and Fai squirms.

"Damn," Kurogane growls. Fai needs a good fucking, from the way he's writhing and pleading with his body. Heat surges through Kurogane's body, makes his cock ache.

He steps in, crowding Fai against the door, and kisses him hard. Fai opens for him, rocking unsteadily into his hand, and it's as though he hasn't fucked anyone in a year. Kurogane slides his tongue into his mouth. Who is this man? He's desperate for some sex, desperate to be touched, and only Kurogane can do that for him.

Kurogane clenches his fist around Fai's cock, drags it up slowly. It forces Fai to focus on his grip, on Kurogane's control over him, and he pulls away from Kurogane's lips, looking down between them.

In the circle of Kurogane's fist, Fai's head is flushed, slick. Kurogane drags his foreskin down, exposing his tip, and reaches down to touch the dry pads of his fingers to it.

Fai jerks against him, swearing in English.

"Too much?" Kurogane asks, smirking.

"You," Fai says, still in English. He blinks hard, rocking his hips up, fucking into Kurogane's hand. His cock slides slick against Kurogane's fingers, desperate, and Kurogane sets a palm on his abdomen, shoving him roughly into the door. Fai's cock jerks. "Ah!"

"You like that," Kurogane says, releasing Fai's cock to undo his own pants. His own cock slips out, dusky and damp and it's a relief from the uncomfortable pressure of his pants.

Fai gulps, his gaze raking down Kurogane's cock. "Are you going to use that?"

"Where do you want it?" Kurogane curls his fingers around his own cock, stroking it. Pleasure hums through his body, but it'd feel better inside Fai. Either down his throat, or in his ass. "Work my cock."

Fai's breath shudders out of him. He takes Kurogane's cock in his hands, pale fingers squeezing steadily, the perfect pressure, and Kurogane swears. He fucks hard into Fai's hands, and Fai groans. "Are we just going to do this?" Fai whines, his own cock neglected. "Me touching your cock like this?"

"No," Kurogane rasps. "Gonna fuck you."

And he slides his cock out of Fai's fingers, leaving a trail of precum hanging between them. Fai brings his hands to his lips, licking it off.

Kurogane growls. Fai is so damn vulnerable like this. "On your knees."

And Fai drops to a kneel immediately, leaning in, licking up Kurogane's cock. His tongue drags soft and wet against Kurogane's skin, and Kurogane angles his cock at him, throbbing when Fai licks over his tip, around his head.

Then he pushes his cock into Fai's mouth, forcing his lips open, and Fai moans. He takes Kurogane's cock inside, his lips stretched around Kurogane's tip, and Kurogane pushes all the way in, until he hits the back of Fai's throat. It's hot in his mouth, slippery, and Fai takes all of him. He tips Kurogane's cock down, leans in, and Kurogane's down his fucking throat before he knows it.

It's tight as well, and Kurogane can't help fucking him, pushing into that tight muscle. Fai swallows around him, and Kurogane throbs, leaking precum down his throat.

He pulls out, allows Fai to breathe, and Fai's playing with his own cock, fingers stroking lightly over it, a thread of precum dripping onto the floor.

"Fuck," Kurogane says, rocking in, sheathing his cock entirely inside Fai. His throat is so damn slippery, and tight, and Kurogane fucks his mouth, burying himself deep. He almost cums right there.

He slides out, his cock glistening, breathing deep. On the floor, Fai gasps, fingers wrapped around his own cock.

"Stand up," Kurogane rasps.

The moment Fai does, Kurogane grabs the waistband of his pants, shoves it halfway down his thigh. Then he pushes Fai's cock down, braces his shoulder against Fai's abdomen, and sweeps him off his feet. Fai yelps, his chest thudding against Kurogane's back.

And Kurogane reaches between his thighs, stroking his trapped cock, touching the dripping tip of it. Fai moans, squirming on his shoulder. "Is this torture? Because it feels like it."

Kurogane chuckles. "Maybe."

Then he grinds the tip of his finger against Fai's tip, and Fai _writhes,_ swearing, his nails biting into Kurogane's sides. In English, "Fuck!"

"I will. Be patient," Kurogane says, and Fai moans.

"You can't. I need... need to cum." He squirms on Kurogane's shoulder, and Kurogane lifts his cock up, pointing it backward. It's heavy and hot, its flushed tip inviting a lick. He wants to taste it.

So he carries Fai into his bedroom, tosses him onto the bed. Fai grunts, squirming around onto his knees, and Kurogane grabs the sagging waistband of his pants, pulling them off his pale legs. Fai kicks his shoes off, and when Kurogane flings the pants aside, he finds Fai waiting for him, sitting on the bed with his legs spread wide. His cock juts darkly against the rest of his pale skin, and hunger spikes through Kurogane's body, making his own cock pulse. He needs to be inside.

He reaches for his own pants, grabbing the condoms and lube from his pocket, throwing them onto the bed. Two feet away, blue eyes gleam. "I didn't think you remembered."

"Been thinking about this a week," Kurogane says, shrugging his clothes off. Fai eyes his cock again, and Kurogane climbs over to him on the bed, the heat of Fai's gaze increasing the pressure at his groin.

He sets his hands on the inside of Fai's thighs, spreads them open, exposing his pink hole. And Fai groans, squirming under him. He's thin and pale under Kurogane, his chest heaving. Kurogane hasn't had a foreigner before, and this is _different,_ Fai under him, all blond and pliant, his hole waiting to be stretched.

Kurogane groans, leaning in, kissing his inner thigh.

Fai's cock jumps against his stomach, smearing precum all over his skin. "You're going to tease me, aren't you?"

"Told you to be patient," Kurogane says. He sinks his teeth into the firm flesh of Fai's thigh, hard enough to leave toothmarks. Fai hisses. Then Kurogane presses damp kisses down his thigh, licking over his soft skin, the fine golden hairs on his thigh. Fai trembles, and Kurogane kisses up to his groin, nosing at his soft balls, taking one into his mouth.

Fai squirms, winding fingers into Kurogane's hair. He tugs lightly, trying to pull Kurogane up. Kurogane meets his eyes, sliding his tongue slowly over Fai's balls, and Fai squirms, his spine arching. "Fuck me now."

"You're not the one in control here," Kurogane says, taking his other ball into his mouth. Then he laps over Fai's straining cock, from base to tip, leaving a trail of saliva over his skin. At Fai's tip, Kurogane presses his lips to the edge of Fai's foreskin, pushing it down with his mouth. Then he flicks his tongue over Fai's exposed head, lapping up salty precum.

Fai groans and squirms beneath him, shoving his cock into Kurogane's mouth. He's desperate, and Kurogane pins his knees down on either side of him, so he doesn't have leverage. Fai's chest heaves. And Kurogane leans in, taking Fai's cock into his mouth, letting his lips drag feather-light down its length, until Fai jerks and squirms, panting, his cock dripping into Kurogane's mouth.

"Damn it," Fai gasps, his fingers clawing into the sheets. "Just fuck me already."

"Fuck you where?" Kurogane licks down his cock, and Fai tries to rut at him again, his hips shifting uselessly on the bed. So Kurogane kisses down his balls, then further, to his sensitive taint. He presses down on it with his tongue, and Fai curses, his body jolting. An answering spark shoots through Kurogane's nerves. He licks down, to the puckered muscle of Fai's hole, and Fai whines, relaxing for him. "You want me here?"

"Yes!"

Kurogane flicks his tongue over Fai's entrance, and Fai swears, his thighs jerking under Kurogane's palms. So Kurogane licks over his hole, circling it, pressing down right in the middle, until it gleams, and Fai's whimpering on the bed, squirming, his thighs shaking under Kurogane's hands.

"I need you inside," Fai says, his pupils blown, his lips bitten red. And Kurogane releases him, crawls up to straddle his shoulders.

Then he angles his cock down, rubbing its blunt tip against Fai's lips. "Suck me."

Fai leans forward, eager, and his lips wrap around Kurogane's cock, soft and wet. He hollows his cheeks, and the pleasure that spikes through Kurogane has him cursing, fucking forward, pushing his cock deep into Fai's mouth. Fai's lips stretch around him, and Kurogane trembles, bracing his arms against the wall so he won't fall over. Fai's mouth feels like bliss, and this is something special, seeing him take Kurogane's cock. Kurogane fucks deeper, and Fai moans, his lips sliding, his hands whispering up Kurogane's thighs, stroking over his balls.

When he's wet enough, Kurogane reaches over for a foil packet. He rolls the condom over his cock, and Fai watches, his eyes dark with anticipation. Kurogane tears the lube sachet open, squeezes it right onto Fai's hole, and Fai relaxes for him, so the thin thread of lube drizzles into the pinprick opening of his ass.

The last of the lube drains. They both watch as it slows to a drip, and the air between them tautens. Then it electrifies when Kurogane slides his fingertips over Fai's hole, smearing it with lube. Then he pushes two fingers inside, and Fai stretches around him, his body hot around Kurogane's fingers, and so tight.

"Damn," Kurogane says, pushing his fingers all the way in, finding his prostate. Fai arches off the bed, gasping.

He swirls his fingers around inside, circling his prostate, sometimes pressing down on it, sometimes skimming over it. Fai writhes under him, panting, setting one foot down on the bed for leverage as he fucks himself on Kurogane's fingers, his chest flushed, his cock dripping shamelessly.

"Want something?" Kurogane asks, sliding his fingers out.

"Yes!"

"What?"

"Your cock," Fai groans. Kurogane grins, squeezing his ass, spreading his cheeks wider, and a deep red sweeps up Fai's neck. But he bucks up at Kurogane anyway, his cock flushed dark with need. It sends the pressure in Kurogane's cock spiking.

Kurogane growls, tearing another sachet of lube open, drizzling it over his own cock. Then he smears the lube over his cock, and clambers over Fai, pushing his cock up against Fai's exposed hole. The heat of Fai's body seeps into Kurogane's cock; he grinds it against Fai's slick hole, then leans in, kissing Fai on the lips, pushing into his mouth. Fai groans around him, and as Kurogane's tip catches on his hole, he rolls his hips, groaning when Fai opens under him, his ass stretching to take Kurogane's cock.

And he's so damn tight inside. Kurogane swears, sinks all the way into him. Fai shudders, panting, his nails pressing into Kurogane's back.

"More," Fai whispers, whimpering. Kurogane slides out, fucks in, and Fai jerks beneath him, his cock dripping between them. He's fucking this man, and they've barely known each other a week. And his body feels like bliss.

Slowly, Kurogane builds a rhythm in him, thrusting in, pressure building at his groin. Fai's cock jerks between them, and Kurogane aims for his prostate, growling when Fai cries out under him, squirming, panting.

"Harder," Fai whispers. "You feel so good."

And Kurogane fucks so hard into him that his balls pull in tight, and he's thrusting deep into Fai's body, his pleasure rising to a crescendo and crashing and he can't think, can only feel as it sweeps through him like a tide. He shouts, thrusting deep, emptying into Fai, and barely catches himself as he falls forward, his attention gripped by the pulsing at his hips.

When he can think again, Kurogane realizes Fai's looking at him, that Fai's cock is still pushing against his hip, a warm, insistent pressure.

"Feel good?" Fai asks, his lips pulling into a smile.

"Hell yeah." Kurogane closes the two inches between them, kissing Fai deep, sliding his tongue into his mouth. He wraps his fist around Fai's cock, stroking it slow and firm, massaging it base to tip, and Fai writhes, gasping, his cock dripping onto his stomach.

"More," he says, his voice breaking.

And Kurogane presses his lips to Fai's ear, sucking on his earlobe. "Cum for me," he growls, sliding his tongue along the shell of Fai's ear. "I want to see your cum all over you."

Fai cries out, his back arching, his toes curling, and he's cumming all over his stomach, thick white streaks covering his abdomen. For a long moment, he doesn't even breathe, and Kurogane watches him, watches the sheer pleasure on his face.

_I did that for him._

Something roars in his chest, possessive. Kurogane brushes the hair away from Fai's face, sniffing at the fresh sweat on his neck. He kisses Fai's jaw, then his lips, and Fai gasps, turning to look at him.

For a moment, they lock gazes. Kurogane stares at the flecks of gray in Fai's eyes, the faint blue of his irises. He's pretty, and he was a pleasure to fuck.

"Thank you. That felt good." Fai smiles, trailing his knuckles over Kurogane's chest. "Are you going to kick me out now?"

Kurogane withdraws from his body, slipping the condom off. He's just fucked Fai. It was better than he expected, through the five days of dreaming about this at work, and—

They can't continue this. They're colleagues.

Horrified, Kurogane meets Fai's eyes. "This can't happen again. You know that, right?"

Fai frowns. "Why?"

"Because we work in the same office. If anything had happens, things are gonna get awkward." _I won't be fired, but it still would be pretty miserable if our colleagues found out._

"People hook up in the office all the time, don't they?" The wrinkles on Fai's brow deepen.

"Not people like us." Kurogane sighs, flopping back onto the bed. He's tired of the odd looks from his accent alone. Never mind the stares if anyone finds out he likes men, or that he had something going on with Fai. "At least, people don't hook up too obviously."

"Then we can—"

"It's too risky," Kurogane says. He hears _Stupid country bumpkin_ in his head, and layered on top of that, _I didn't know he's gay. His parents must be so disappointed._ He shoves those thoughts away. "Maybe not so much for you, but I'd rather not."

For a moment, Fai looks at his hands, his throat working. In a small voice, he asks, "Did I do something wrong?"

 _What the hell?_ "No," Kurogane says. "There's nothing wrong with you. Why would you say that?"

And even in that question, he hears the accent in his own speech, the subtle intonations that make him different, that he can't get rid of.

Fai either ignores Kurogane's accent, or chooses not to comment on it. He licks his lips, looking away. "I... well, I have a history of disappointing people."

 _So have I._ "You're fine," Kurogane says. "You're doing well in the office."

Fai twists his fingers together. "Not all that well. I mean... I make mistakes. Sometimes I hear them talking to each other—they say it's because I'm a foreigner and I can't understand Mandarin."

Kurogane winces. How can their colleagues say that, when Fai's Mandarin sounds better than Kurogane's? "You speak well. Better than me, anyway. People will forgive you more easily. It's not your mother tongue."

Blue eyes widen. "I don't... How is that possible? You were born here."

"Not in Beijing." Kurogane sighs, knotting the end of the condom. He rolls off the bed, dropping it into the bin. "I'm from a village, remember?"

Like before, Fai doesn't bat an eyelid. He tilts his head, following Kurogane to the edge of the bed. "I don't see anything wrong with that. It doesn't mean you're less capable, or less intelligent."

Kurogane glances at him, warmth sweeping through his chest. He hadn't expected Fai to say that. But maybe that's what's different about Fai. He's not from Beijing, not even from China, and... he looks past things about Kurogane that others would scoff at. So Kurogane settles back on the mattress, his thigh brushing against Fai's. They should spend more time together. "Thanks. What about you? You seem to be doing fine in the office."

Fai hesitates, pausing with his mouth open. "I... guess I'm fine for the most part. But sometimes I slip up, and... things go wrong."

"That big mess with the shipping lines wasn't because of you."

"It wasn't."

Funny to think how that happened earlier today. Ten hours later, they're lying in bed, naked, Fai curled up against Kurogane. And Kurogane knows what he tastes like, knows the way Fai looks when he cums.

He looks back down at Fai's chest, where Fai has wiped the stains off his skin. "I still don't know about this," he says. "It's... not going to go anywhere."

"Why not?" The corners of Fai's lips pull down. "I mean, we haven't even tried."

Kurogane sighs. "Because I should get married."

"You don't want to."

Back in the village in Wuxi province, Kurogane's father plows the fields with the new machines Kurogane bought him, and his mother helps. _Get married,_ they'd said. _If you don't have a child, who will take care of you when you grow old?_

Kurogane doesn't want a kid to care for him in his old age. He'll do fine himself, he thinks. Besides, he really doesn't want a wife. But his parents have raised him with their blood and sweat, and he has to repay them somehow. Which means he should listen to their wishes. Bear them a grandchild to continue the family line.

That would require a woman, a marriage to a woman, and he can't do that when he only gets hard for men.

He looks away, a bitter taste on his tongue. "I should. That's what... my parents want."

"You have a choice," Fai says.

Except Kurogane bears the burden of repaying his parents, and that has no monetary value to it. "You won't understand," he says. "You're from abroad. Your values are different."

Fai frowns. "I'm just giving you options. You don't have to listen to everything your parents say."

Kurogane wants to, though. He loves his parents. And that alone is enough to make him consider marriage, consider the grandchild they want to hold so badly.

"Is that why you don't want this?" Fai wags a finger between them. "Because you need to get married?"

"Maybe." Kurogane shrugs. That, and their colleagues at the office. This is China, not some liberal city in America. Despite the slow improvements in the laws here, the community as a whole does not accept people like him. And he'll always disappoint his parents, because he can never father a child with a wife he loves. If men could get pregnant, well. It would be a lot easier.

"You can't bend your entire life to their wishes." Fai frowns, sitting up in bed. "Marriage is a big decision, and you'd do it because of them? They're not the one marrying whoever it is."

Kurogane doesn't know how to explain all of it—the importance of family, the things he feels he owes his parents, the Chinese view on filial piety. Giving part of his paycheck to his parents, traveling back to the village every New Year's, doing things that they'll be proud of. Fai wouldn't understand; the Westerners never do.

So he sighs, lying back onto the bed. "I don't want to talk about it."

Fai studies him for a moment, his eyes dark. "Do you mind if I sleep over?"

"If you don't mind showing up tomorrow in the same clothes, sure."

Fai chews on his lips, leaning up to look at the clothes on the floor. Then he flops back into bed, sighing. "I'll sleep over."

Kurogane shrugs, smiling. If that's what Fai wants, he has no objections. Fai was a pleasure to have in bed tonight. "Sure."

He rolls in close, slinging his arm around Fai's waist, and Fai snuggles into his chest with a smile.

**Author's Note:**

> If you're familiar with Chinese culture and found discrepancies here, please tell me! And if there are any typos that bugged you, tell me as well :D
> 
> I mean to continue this sometime soon...... maybe after the next book gets written. I don't know. But soon. I hope. :D


End file.
